Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 172.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 15.7 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 75.7% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 78.0% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 16.5% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 87.1% more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Africa, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
make 86.7% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 67.5% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.2% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.4% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.5% more on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 81.5% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 29.9 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.9% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 8.4 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 59.4% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.5% more CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.